CAMROSE, Alberta — Both Bull Riders Canada Inc. and the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association have contestants this week in Camrose at Bulls for Breakfast as part of the Big Valley Jamboree.

On the second day of competition, Josh Birks took over the lead in BRC action while 2014 Canadian Champion Dakota Buttar went to number one in what was a wide open CPRA event.

Birks’ 86.5 on Corona Time from Vold Rodeo is the highest score of the combined events so far. Buttar’s 82.5 on Righteous Smoke also from Vold Rodeo could push him further in the lead of this year’s Canadian Standings if it holds up.

Lonnie West and Gerard Oversby joined Buttar on the leaderboard this morning with scores of 82 and 81.5 respectively.

CALGARY, Alberta — A new feature has been added to this year’s Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame induction banquet. Prior to Saturday’s festivities, a poker night has been added on Friday October 16th.

Entry fees are $50 per person and re-buys are the same. A buckle is up for the night’s champion with all proceeds going towards the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.

Volunteers are needed as dealers along with a few sets of poker chips. If you can help out in any way either as a dealer, bringing some chips, donating an item as a prize or silent auction item, we appreciate any and all support we can get.

Entries can be done via myself, Ted Stovin at ted@everything-cowboy.com or by phone at 780-542-1638 or by contacting any of the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame Board of Directors.

AIRDRIE, Alberta — The following is an email sent to me by Gold Card CPRA Member Mac McKie with his thoughts on the new Pro Rodeo Canada logo.

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Ted,

In my opinion the new logo is a giant step backwards!

The idea of a logo is to give instant visual recognition and promotion to your product. A bucking horse stretched across a red maple leaf on a white background shouts “Rodeo Canada” even if you cannot read English. The new logo? Not so much. A couple of pencil swishes says absolutely nothing Canadian and as far as rodeo only resembles an abused hat after the rodeo dance.

Respectfully,

Mac McKie

Gold Card Member D0555

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Pro Rodeo Canada logo prior to 2015 change.

Current Pro Rodeo Canada logo brought into effect by current management mid-season 2015.

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Share your thoughts on the new and old logos in a comment below if you so desire.

To get the conversation started, I believe that the new Pro Rodeo Canada logo does not meet the standards when compared to the logos of other professional sports.

Not having a logo that can compare already puts us behind when working towards improving the sport. As far as the “Canadian” part of our sport, the hat in the new logo looks more like one someone in the Australian outback would wear or one you might find in a box of beer. Or like Mac said, after you drank a box of beer.

Then there is the notion some have talked about how the new Pro Rodeo Canada logo closely resembles the Calgary Tourism logo on the welcome signs.

While we are on the subject, I think moving away from the name of last year’s “Pro Rodeo Canada Grass Roots Series” was the wrong way to go. This year’s Pro Rodeo Canada Series doesn’t make much sense. That’s kind of like NASCAR having a NASCAR Series isn’t it? Like the NASCAR NASCAR Series. We’ve currently got Pro Rodeo Canada’s Pro Rodeo Canada Series…Rather than only point out the problem in this note today, I’d like to offer a solution.

Go back to the old logo, but change it slightly.

Leave out CPRA on the old logo since we are moving away from that name. The CPRA can be known to the fans as Pro Rodeo Canada with the right direction.

Make the maple leaf, the most recognizable symbol of our nation, more simple design wise in the logo if necessary.

Make the bronc rider more simple design wise, and or bigger, like you see below in the PRCA’s logo below.

Add or drop “Pro Rodeo Canada” from the old logo as needed when using it in different situations. Update the text if needed

Put it out as a contest or request for help from the members, it’s their association and I don’t think this logo represents them properly.

Here are a couple examples of what an updated version of the old CPRA logo could look like. They aren’t necessarily the answer but I think they are way closer to being on the right track.

Last but not least, I may not wear one of these buckles, but the new Pro Rodeo Canada logo absolutely has no place on a championship as prestigious as this.